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Saturday, May 7, 2011

Manny Pacquiao won against Shane Mosley today. The fight went the distance and Manny defeated Shane by unanimous decision. The scores were 120-107, 119-108, 119-108 all in favor of the Filipino ring icon.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Watch this video below for the preview of the 2nd episode of Fight Camp 360 which features Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. The Pacquiao-Mosley fight will happen on May 7 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Fight Camp 360 Episode 2 is brought to you by Showtime, a sister company of CBS.

Friday, March 25, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - Top Rank boss Bob Arum is so pleased with how Manny Pacquiao looks and moves in training camp that a good six weeks before fight night, he already declared the Filipino icon ready to mix it up with Shane Mosley.

“He looks terrific. He looks very, very good,” said Arum, who flew in to Baguio to check on the high-altitude training of the pound-for-pound superstar under Freddie Roach at the Cooyesan Hotel’s Shape Up Gym.

“This is so early, and look how great he is. He can fight next week, probably,” exclaimed the 79-year-old promoter.

The fighting congressman from Sarangani is set to defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight title against Mosley on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Arum said he’s quite impressed with how the 32-year-old Pacquiao, a feared southpaw with tremendous KO power, is fast developing a new weapon – his right hand.

“I like the way he’s been using that right hand, because I really believe that the right hand is gonna tell the story of the fight,” said Arum.

“Everybody knows that the left hand is his power hand, so Mosley’s gonna be looking for that left hand. But I think he’s using his right hand tremendously and that’s gonna be his big weapon,” he added.

Arum arrived in the Philippines early Monday accompanied by step daughter Dena Duboef, and two of Pacquiao’s sparmates, Shawn Porter and David Rodela.

From Manila, they were flown to the City of Pines on board the private plane of former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson, just in time for the public workout of Pacquiao yesterday.

Arum said Pacquiao’s Baguio training camp, now on its second week, is running smoothly, unlike the previous build-up for the Antonio Margarito fight in which the Pacman looked sluggish.

“He’s just incredible. He’s really looking very, very good,” said Arum, leaving for the US on Wednesday night with no concern whatsoever on the way Pacquiao gears himself up for the showdown with Mosley.

Meanwhile, Shawn Porter and David Rodela, Pacquiao’s sparmates, arrived yesterday although Roach said the sparring sessions will only start next Tuesday.

While expressing satisfaction with the progress of Pacquiao’s training early in the camp, Roach said the Filipino icon remains far from reaching peak form to let him go sparring with Porter and Rodela, who have been with Team Pacquiao in past campaigns.

“He’s been off for a while, he still has some bad timing,” said Roach. “We’re not ready to fight yet.”

Sparring is scheduled every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with two more sparring partners, who fight like Mosley, on standby in Los Angeles and ready to join the camp any moment.

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines—For chief trainer Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao’s fight strategy against Shane Mosley on May 7 is a work in progress.

While doing the mitts with Pacquiao, Roach noted every punch thrown, avoided and absorbed. He conferred with Pacquiao from time to time and took suggestions from the world’s only eight-division world champion.

Then the trainer and the fighter tried to put these plans into motion.

While he used to complain about the many training distractions, Roach was all praises this time for Pacquiao’s newfound enthusiasm.

“Last week was really great, he’s very motivated,” said Roach, who gave Pacquiao a passing mark in their first week of training here. “He knows it’s not an easy fight and I love it that he knows that. I expect him to get better.”

Roach said Pacquiao’s first week of training was the best he had with his ward since 2001, when they first teamed up, but he was inclined to follow their original training calendar.

“He’s been off for a while, he still has some bad timing,” the trainer said. “We’re not ready to fight yet, but we’re getting there.”

Roach said sparring has been set for Tuesday, when Pacquiao’s training partners—super welterweight Shawn Porter and lightweight David Rodela—have already acclimatized to the Baguio weather. The two planed in from the United States late Sunday night.

Apart from Porter and Rodela, who shook off jet lag with a light workout on Monday, Roach said he would add two more spar mates during the second half of training camp at his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.

“One is from San Francisco, who fights like Shane,” said the five-time Trainer of the Year.

Roach also announced that Pacquiao would not spar with WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan, who has been training at the Cooyeesan Hotel here, due to conflict in schedules.

By Vitali Shaposhnikov: Between 2009 and 2011 a lot of significant things have occurred in boxing. Some fighters retired, while others elevated their careers to new highs. For Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2), this two year gap has been nothing but triumphant. Starting with the brutal knockout of Ricky Hatton (45-1-0) in mid 2009, and ending with a dominating win over Antonio Margarito (38-6-0) at the end of 2010, Pacquiao went through Miguel Cotto (34-1-0) and Joshua Clottey (35-3-0) in-between like butter.

Going up in weight and facing the top opposition proved to be something that the “dream team” of Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao had no trouble dealing with. Now, on May 7, Manny Pacquiao will attempt to claim another win over a living legend in Shane Mosley (46-6-1). Probably a few years back the odds would have been very different, but today, after Pacquiao’s “Pacman-style” progress, having him as an underdog is simply implausible.

Even the veteran and former pound for pound king Roy Jones Jr. (54-7-0) changed his mind between this two year spread.

In 2009, Jones advised Pacquiao to steer clear of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley. He saw both of them as being too big and too fast for Pacquiao. (http://www.boxingnews24.com/2009/06/boxing-news-roy-jones-jr-advises-pacquiao-to-steer-clear-of-mosley-and-mayweather/)

The latest news from Jones on this very same topic came about in early 2011, where Jones seems to have shifted his views. Now Jones seems Pacquiao as a clear winner in his bout against Mosley on May 7, 2011. “Pacquiao has been beating guys in bigger weight classes, and he’s hot right now,” said Jones in a recent interview. (http://www.boxingnews24.com/2011/01/roy-jones-jr-picks-pacquiao-to-beat-mosley-but-thinks-shane-could-give-him-some-problems/)

Jones still thinks that counting out Mosley is not wise, as veteran boxers are almost always able to make adjustments in the ring. I find it very interesting, and see it as a big deal that Jones Jr. modified his opinion about the Filipino superstar. Jones Jr. and Mosley have always been friends, and have spoken mostly good things of each other. For Jones Jr. to pick Pacquiao to win, shows the tremendous respect and admiration for his boxing skills.

At first I was skeptical of this match-up, siding with the “Mosley is too old for this” crowd. But lately, my excitement had been steadily building up. At this point, I am simply thrilled to see this fight, and think that it has the full potential to be a blockbuster event.

Tecate has established a wide presence for itself in the boxing arena, sponsoring many of the biggest fighters and events. For Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley, they'll be offering an even heavier pour of promotion for the May 7th fight. As reported by Bill King of the Sports Business Journal, Tecate is putting together it's largest and farthest reaching retail promotion ever, centered on this fight.

The beer company will be putting out over 100,000 cases of commemorative cans of beer for Pacquiao vs. Mosley. That means well more than 1.2 million 24-ounce cans, featuring promotional images of the fight and the participants. The cans will be sold in retail locations in California and other western U.S. states, in addition to Texas and Illinois.

All told, they will be reaching roughly 20,000 stores, with a total of over 50,000 stores through other promotions that include the Pacquiao vs. Mosley fight, and the Cinco De Mayo holiday, which is one of its busiest and most successful periods. In the past, other promotions for fights have reached 10,000 stores with 80,000 cases.

Tecate will also be offering its typical Pay-Per-View rebate on the purchase of Pacquiao vs. Mosley in states where it's allowed. With appropriate purchase, a $25 rebate on the PPV price will be given.

How often have you heard that since the reigning pound-for-pound champion decided to take a fight with a guy coming off of a stink-fest draw and a decisive loss to the pound-for-pound No. 2 guy?

"Shane Mosley can hurt Manny Pacquiao," uttered by some as a disclaimer and others as an endorsement, but it's basically like saying "in a boxing ring, anything can happen." Hell, a guy parachuted into the ring once. Bizarre scenes unfold in boxing rings ALL the time. So why can't we suggest that Mosley, a solid puncher in his prime who knocked out many worthy foes in the past, has something more than the hopeless "puncher's chance" that his last two performances suggest?

Because it's cheap, that's why.

Anyone can say "I wouldn't rule him out, if he hits Manny with a big right, he could hurt him." It's a low-risk, high-reward argument to make. If the odds hold up, and Manny lives up to his billing as a 7-to-1 favorite and growing, then you say "Shane just couldn't connect on a clean shot, oh well." No one calls you out. But if Mosley pulls the miracle, then you're the guy who just predicted the impossible. You're a genius! Well, not me. I pretty much ruled out Shane Mosley in this fight the minute I heard it was made.

First of all, the Pacquiao-can-be-hurt-by-a-big-guy argument has been made in several of his last few fights.

De la Hoya didn't have as much left as we thought he did. Cotto landed some big hits in the first couple rounds, but Manny absorbed them and took advantage of his offensive-minded opponent's vulnerability and landed with some vicious counters, dropping Miguel twice. Hatton was supposed to be a big-hitter. Margarito "could hurt" Manny was an oft-heard refrain leading up to that fight. And what happened? Margarito hit Manny with solid shots on a few occasions. And Manny gave him a violent beating in return.

I respect Shane Mosley immensely for what he's accomplished in the ring. He's a sure-fire Hall of Famer, one of the best of his generation and one of the classiest gentlemen outside of the ring that the sport has ever produced. But in my mind, the Mayweather fight was, or should have been, the last hurrah for Sugar Shane. Floyd's supreme defensive skills and speed turned that affair into a one-sided romp, with Mosley either too tired or too slow to engage Floyd beyond the second round.

Watching the Mora fight, which I actually thought Shane narrowly won, it seemed clear that Mosley was not at the peak of his powers. I don't see what he brings into this fight with Manny that makes this a competitive bout.

Experience? Manny's been fighting on a world-class level for almost a decade.

Power? Mosley might throw a bigger punch, that's debatable, but Manny throws a lot of them, and usually connects from all angles with overwhelming accuracy.

Speed? If the Mosley who was in the ring against Floyd and Mora shows up on May 7th, Manny will run circles around him.

So...why bother even watching it? Because I'm a boxing addict, Manny Pacquiao is fighting—the best in the world and always a pleasure to watch—and yes, Shane Mosley could hurt Manny Pacquiao.

It's a boxing ring, anything can happen. Don't say I didn't tell you so, when it does.

Below are the photos of Cotto vs Mayorga during their fight on March 12, 2011 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Miguel Cotto won by TKO in the 12th round. All photos below are owned by Top Rank Promotions/Chris Farina.

Moments ago inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, Miguel Cotto successfully defended his WBA junior middleweight crown with a 12th round TKO over game but outmatched Ricardo Mayorga. This fight wasn't electric but Cotto did his part and can now look towards a prosperous future.

The first two rounds of the fight were fought at a calculated pace from each man as Cotto took the lead and landed more consistently. Many expected Mayorga to come roaring out of the gates but he actually was very timid.

In the third a visibly irritated Mayorga baited Cotto, motioning him to come to the corner and swing away, but Miguel kept his composure and continued fighting a disciplined fight. The fight wasn't nearly as action-packed as many expected as Cotto seemed content on slowly picking Mayorga apart.

Mayorga began to open up a little bit in the 4th although many of his punches were blocked by Cotto. Towards the end of the round Mayorga had his best moments as he swung wildly at Cotto, landing a few grazing shots. Cotto took the punches well and simply smiled at his foe.

The fifth was pretty entertaining as Mayorga again motioned for Cotto to come and get him by leaning against the corner. Cotto obliged and began cracking the Nicaraguan with some fine uppercuts that definitely caught the 38-year old's attention. Mayorga would attempt to answer back but his punches didn't land with the same frequency.

Round six was another Cotto round but in the seventh Mayorga woke up, at least towards the end, staging a hellacious onslaught towards the end of the stanza. Cotto was copping some clean shots and began noticabely backpedaling for the first time in the fight.

Mayorga started strong and finished strong in the eighth but the two minutes and forty seconds in between was all Cotto. Mayorga was showing every bit of his age and Cotto again had success picking him off with stinging uppercuts.

As the championship rounds approached the fight began to seem like a replay as Cotto controlled the action for the majority of the time while Mayorga would occasionally swing for a home run shot without much success.

In the twelfth round Cotto ended the night by landing a crippling left hook that caught Mayorga flush on the chin. Mayorga was shaken and seemed to have a delayed reaction as he took a knee moments later. He would rise but Cotto jumped on him to finish the contest just moments later as Mayorga opted not to continue.

Continue now can set his sights on rematches with either Antonio Margarito or Manny Pacquiao, the only two men to defeat him. Margarito was in attendance and was greeted with a cheer of boos when he was flashed on the overhead monitors.

Cotto and Margarito appear to be headed for a July face off in either New Jersey or Las Vegas.

Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

In the bowels of Yankee Stadium, Miguel Cotto was getting dressed, having just beaten Yuri Foreman to win the WBA super welterweight title.

As Cotto finished dressing, his trainer, Emanuel Steward, came by, put his hand on Cotto's shoulder and said to him, "You're back!" Cotto looked at Steward, winked and said, "We're back!"

After being trained by his father and uncle for his most of his career, Cotto brought in Steward, the Hall of Fame trainer whose Kronk Gym in Detroit turned out dozens of great fighters, most notably Thomas Hearns, to get him back to the top.

Cotto had taken savage beatings the past few years, and after almost every fight, his routine included a trip to the emergency room. With Steward in his corner, Cotto looked like a new fighter.

He had renewed speed, and he dominated Foreman on June 5. Cotto didn't have to go to the hospital after beating Foreman, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say Steward might have saved and extended Cotto's career in the ring.

Steward will be in Cotto's corner again tonight when he defends his WBA title against Ricardo Mayorga in the 12-round main event of the Top Rank-Don King Promotions fight card at the MGM Grand Garden.

"He is a great trainer, and we work very well together," the 30-year-old Cotto said. "Having Manny Steward on our team, he doesn't just work with Miguel Cotto. He works with the whole team. We are grateful to Manny for the way he teaches us to be better."

The 38-year-old Mayorga (29-7-1, 23 knockouts) said he will start a new streak tonight and send Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) to University Medical Center.

Steward said that will not happen.

"No more hospitals," he said. "We'll be partying after we knock Mayorga out."

Steward said he didn't want to change Cotto. Instead, his plan was to get him back to using the skills that made him a feared fighter at 140 and 147 pounds.

"The first time I met with him was in Dallas before the (Manny) Pacquiao-(Joshua) Clottey fight" last March, Steward said. "I couldn't believe how slow he was on his feet. I got him to drop his hands and just move around. He moved good, and I said, 'Maybe we got something here.'

"What he did against Foreman was just scratching the surface. Someone showed me a clip on YouTube when he was 17 years old, and he was moving like a young Sugar Ray Leonard. He was unbelievable. He said to me, 'I want to box that way,' and he's back on his toes, using that footwork. He obsessed with moving."

When he agreed to train Cotto for the June fight with Foreman, Steward demanded complete control of the training camp. No one interfered, and the result was one of Cotto's best performances in his 10-year pro career. Things have gotten better as Cotto prepares for Mayorga.

Steward said the key to Cotto's success is using his left jab and coming in with the hook. "Everything works off the jab," Steward said. "We've got him throwing that jab, and he's got speed, power and precision."

Cotto, who is a 10-1 betting favorite at the MGM properties' sports books, said he's not sure how much longer he'll continue to fight. But with Steward in his corner, he might stick around awhile.

"I feel like I've had a great career," he said. "It's been very productive. I know it's near the end, but I feel like it's the beginning. I feel great, and I feel like I have a lot left before I go."

■ NOTES -- According to Nevada Athletic Commission figures, Cotto's purse tonight is $1 million while Mayorga's is $50,000. Mayorga is making $500,000 for the fight, but he owed his promoter, Don King, money from a lawsuit King had won against him a couple of years ago. ... Both fighters weighed in at 154 pounds Friday. There were no incidents at the weigh-in. ... Also on tonight's card, Miguel Vazquez (27-3, 12 KOs) defends his IBF lightweight title against Lenny Zappavigna (25-0, 17 KOs). Vazquez-Zappavigna is scheduled for 12 rounds.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.

Steward believes that the 37-year old Nicaraguan throws wild, looping punches that Cotto can exploit with faster, shorter punches.

But underlined that his charge must not be intimidated by the bully-style that the 29-7 orthodox danger man brings.

"I do not want to see Mayorga make Miguel run, like he does with his bully type style and so its very important that to let him him force you to run. Cotto does not fight so good of the ropes, so it's important he takes the centre of the ring." said Steward.

During their weigh in yesterday, many felt Mayorga was in the best shape of his career to date. Both he and Cotto came bang on the 154lb weight limit - but as usual Mayorga was up to his old tricks, by handing Cotto a red rose as he stood on the scales.

Earlier this week Mayorga claimed Cotto was half-gay and the people of Puerto Rico should get behind him.

"I don't care what he (Mayorga) is saying about me," said Cotto (35-2, 28ko)

"He's always going to be talking, but as everyone knows, the fight starts when you enter the ring and that's where I'm going to win the fight, in the ring."

"I'm going everywhere," he said. "I'm going to the body, I'm going upstairs. I just want to give the fans the best fight possible."